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Wednesday, 20 July 2011

Perception Changer

This is Erzulie, my part of a mural on the CGA's wall in Laventille, Trinidad. It's a collaborative work between Wendell McShine, myself, and some art students from Success Laventille Composite.

Laventille, a "depressed area" is well known as a crime and gang hotspot in Trinidad; bogged down by stereotypes and social stigma but is also one of the most culturally active spaces I've encountered.

And I had my first public "artist talk" at Alice Yard with Joanna Crichlow, a visiting Barbadian artist. (That's me in the red shoes)

When I just started showing work online, the focus became my inclusion of natural Black hair - partly because I was a recent natural navigating my own difficulties and issues with the choice and the reaction to that and partly because I wanted to illustrate women who looked like me, like you perhaps, just as lovely but without the hommage to the perceived "better-ness" of processed hair. What I have noticed is that now my ladies sometimes don't even have hair. My focus had changed as I move into a new part of myself and my experience.

I'm deconstructing me. Learning my layers. Mapping my self in contour and shape, pattern and colour - these have become the important things. I've dealt with what I look like; let's deal with what I am.

I've wanted to change perceptions, alter the norms of beauty, create spaces of self-acceptance - I think it might be my purpose.

I'm very surprised and very pleased that once you ask for Erzulie of takes care of this area of ​​Laventille. I wanted to know if there was a ritual of contact with the place, the atmosphere of this area so special ?

The mural is glorious, will look for it next time I come home. They way you articulated your realizations about self/-perception and your dawning understanding of your purpose made the hairs on my head raise. Congrats!